I SPENT THE 90’s TRAPPED IN THE GARAGE

Blues Was The Teacher. Garage Punk …The Preacher.

The late 80’s were chock-full-of Metal, New Wave, Goth, Rap, and late period synth-drenched Brit pop. Underneath the surface there were a handful of bands that began to incorporate touches of Old blues, Chuck Berry swagger, 70’s glam, Radio Birdman-esque back alley rock and roll, Power Pop, Blue Cheer sludge, and good ol’ fashioned ’77 punk. This new underbelly began to toss slick production in the trash and deliver danger on a silver platter. A tasty stew if you ask me.

Some powerful bands from the 80’s that spilled into the 90’s were The Nomads, Dead Moon, Mudhoney, The Morlocks, Miracle Workers, The Loons, The Fleshtones, The Humpers, The Mummies, The Cynics, Thee Hypnotics, Gallon Drunk, and The Fuzztones. They all seemed to exist and operate outside the fringes of the mainstream.

Then came Nirvana’s album “Bleach” in 1989

Within two short years after the release of “Bleach”, Nirvana bailed from Sub Pop, shifted to Geffen Records, recorded and released their sophomore album “Nevermind”. Once that album dropped and hit radio, the entire situation shifted overnight. They went from playing toilet bowl clubs to massive shows. This isn’t a love letter to Nirvana. Just the facts. A Nirvana was needed at that period of time. They caused a tectonic shift. They moved the needle and more importantly the focus back to Rock N Roll. Rock had been punched in the face for far too many years. These days, we’re back in that lane again. This time, with two black eyes.

As the early 90’s began to seep in . . . the radio airwaves and MTV filled car stereos, walkmans, and television sets with bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, Alice and Chains, and Stone Temple Pilots. Major labels pounced, signed a ton of bands, spent a ton of money and filled record shelves around the World. If I recall, CD list prices back then were around $15 — $20 bucks.

As the 90’s forged on; “Garage Punk — Garage Rock — Lo-Fi Garage Rock” (whatever you wanna call it) became a staple in my world. Independent record labels such as Am Rep, Estrus, Dionysus, Au Go-Go, Bomp/Voxx, Norton, Sympathy For The Record Industry, Get Hip, Crypt, RAFR, Man’s Ruin, Scooch Pooch, Gearhead, and In The Red Records were delightfully and effectively serving me band after band which helped reshape my penchant for Rock n Roll.

Bands such as The Drags, Electric Frankenstein, The Gibson Brothers, Jack O’ Fire, Lollipop, The Cows, The Quadrajets, The Humpers, Candysnatchers, 68 Comeback, The Oblivians, The Makers, Compulsive Gamblers, Supercharger, Mono Men, and The Pleasure Fuckers flipped my wig. Those bands toured the World playing toilet bowl clubs. But, that’s where Rock N Roll thrives. No rules. No B.S. Just basic, stripped down and sweaty. Just like the music should be.

I attended countless shows in the 90’s. Here in the Los Angeles area, the clubs I frequented the most were Bar Deluxe, Al’s Bar, The Garage, Moguls, Linda’s Doll Hut, Club Mesa, The Foothill, The Clipper, and warehouse shows in Downtown L.A. I witnessed too many bands to mention. A few highlights were Guitar Wolf, The Hellacopters, The Horrors (from Iowa — not the newish band from the UK), Dead Moon, Deadbolt, The Gimmicks, The White Stripes, The Humpers, Electric Frankenstein, Nashville Pussy, Satans Cheerleaders, The Lazy Cowgirls, The Psyclone Rangers, and a slew of Cramps shows. In the late 90’s, there was a promoter here named Ralph Carerra who would bring alot of these bands to L.A. He operated under the name Tiger Mask Presents. It was a magical time. No attitude. No mobile phones in the air. Just raw unadulterated power.

As for the mainstream press, they rarely cared about these bands. That was fine in my book. Back then, you had to flip through the pages of Maximumrocknroll, Carbon 19, Ugly Things, Your Flesh, and Lollipop to find out about these bands. New and old. It still exists today on a certain level, but not like it used to be. It’s now just a click away. Magazine stands are a barren wasteland.

Since 2000, I’ve noticed young band after young band releasing watered down versions of what the 90’s represented to me personally. The ‘heroes’ of that decade are all but forgotten and not even name checked anymore. Sad. Where’s the love for Jerry Teel (Chrome Cranks) or Miss Guy (Toilet Boys) or Scott Deluxe Drake (The Humpers) or The New Bomb Turks or Jack Yarber (The Oblivians) or Greg Cartwright, or The Sewergrooves or The Chicken Hawks or The Bassholes or The Cheater Slicks or The Lazy Cowgirls? Maybe I don’t want them to know. Who knows. Though, there’s still one common thread throughout…and that’s Rock N Roll (even if it’s one single thin thread).

As for the best shows I’ve ever witnessed around Los Angeles: Zen Guerrilla @ Al’s Bar, Guitar Wolf @ The Garage, The Humpers @ Mr. T’s Bowl (in fact, the door guy got stabbed this particular night — read the story here), The Cramps @ House of Blues — Sunset Strip, The Fuse! @ The Echo (this was thier last show as a band. the drummer broke a bottle and threw it into the crowd slicing a girls eyeball), The Flash Express @ The Garage, Helvis and the Helvettes @ Bar Deluxe, Throw Rag @ Spaceland, The International Playboys @ a sushi restaurant in Silverlake, The Toilet Boys @ The Martini Lounge, and The Makers @ The Troubadour.

Bored yet?

I’ll wrap it up by saying the 90’s was a pivitol decade for me. I began to dig beneath the surface and discover unlimited treasures of Rock N Roll bands. They were raw, determined, dangerous, untouchable, suave, and didn’t care about major label deals. They toured the U.S. and Canada in vans running on fumes, and lived on couches. Most of the time their backstage areas were dirty alleys behind clubs.

So … If you’re an artist and you really want it — you have to pay your dues

That’s Rock N Roll to me.

Below is a Spotify playlist packed with a bunch of bands that’ve inspired me throughout the years. Thanks for reading and listening.